The line was half a block long, not an unusual occurrence at Gagosian Beverly Hills, but certainly one that hasn’t happened since its Oscar week opening featuring Damien Hirst in February. Wednesday night’s opening of “America Too,” the third collaboration between Takashi Murakami and Virgil Abloh, drew a small army of fans, most of them young and several of them famous.
Travis Scott, Kourtney Kardashian, Usher, Kid Cudi, Orlando Bloom and Luka Sabbat were spotted in the crowd, which was sizable inside, though nothing compared with the orderly throng outside. They were let in a handful at a time, making it possible for as many fans to take in the event as possible.
Many of the artworks themselves, in a variety of media, were also oversize, including the giant “Material Too,” a take on the American flag, that hung in the center of the North Gallery. It was probably also the biggest number of iPhones seen at an art opening, as young fans excitedly Instagrammed themselves in front of the colorful works, including Murakami’s iconic rainbow flower, onto which the signature arrows of Abloh’s Off-White label were overlaid, or “Arrows and Flower Neon Sign” and a rotating piece that blinked like a